For a time, the European payments market was considered fertile ground for the creation of a third card network to compete against heavyweights Visa Europe and MasterCard. This third network never came to be, but European banks kept the idea on the back burner as a way to compete against or even bypass the major card brands.

Charlie Shrem wouldn't let prison stop him from chatting with his online fans. Even after becoming the first person ever convicted of a Bitcoin-related crime, Shrem continues to cultivate a following among Bitcoin loyalists, some of whom paint him as a sort of martyr for the digital currency.

In wearables, one size doesn't fit all. Some Apple Watch owners may never use Apple Pay; others may consider it a must-have feature.

Visa's agreement to reunite with Visa Europe positions the global card brand to better address a world where payments and commerce have fewer borders.

The EMV deadline has come and gone, and customers and retailers alike are realizing that they need to understand and adapt to the new payment reality both online and offline.

Gift cards don't seem like the coolest technology in the payments world, but new and reinvented digital gifting platforms are changing the conversation – by borrowing text-messaging staples like emoji.

Whether it's regulation, cyber threats, vendor backlog or just plain inertia, U.S. banks still lag their overseas counterparts when it comes to mobile adoption.

Digital commerce and payments company Mozido has named R. Todd Bradley as its new chief executive.

To improve its commerce and restaurant management offerings, Heartland Payment Systems has acquired Digital Dining, a provider of software that enables handheld point of sale devices to interact with conventional fixed terminals.

Apple Pay hasn't gone too far with consumers in its first year, but it has nevertheless established a solid footing with merchants, banks and two generations of its own handsets. And Apple has many powerful rivals that are eager to surpass it.

October saw the three main card networks invest in bitcoin-related companies, which comes on the heels of major banks exploring the use of bitcoin and blockchain technology to solve some industry pain points.

FIS is taking a major step toward completing its ongoing project of making it possible for people to pay for fuel without getting out of the car.

Within four hours of being launched, the innovative 3-D website—believed to be a first in financial services and inspired by interns—had more than 178 member-avatars 'walk through' to check it out.

October saw the three main card networks invest in bitcoin-related companies, which comes on the heels of major financial institutions exploring the use of bitcoin and blockchain technology to solve some industry pain points, though credit unions remain wary of the cryptocurrency.

With the highly anticipated EMV liability shift now in effect in the U.S., merchants have been adopting point-of-sale terminals that can accept chip-based cards.

If Visa and MasterCard seem to be shining an extremely bright spotlight on their tokenization efforts, it's because they view it as vital to their survival.

Starbucks Corp. now gets 21% of its U.S. sales in company-owned stores through its mobile app, and its new order-and-pay system looks to be just as popular.

October saw the three main card networks invest in bitcoin-related companies, which comes on the heels of major banks exploring the use of bitcoin and blockchain technology to solve some industry pain points.

MasterCard is talking to Merchant Customer Exchange executives about what role the card brand could play in the retailers' CurrentC mobile wallet, but the card brand insists it is just an interested observer in the merchant mobile wallet venture.

PayPal has long desired to be a force in brick-and-mortar payments, a strategy that's more vital than ever as the newly independent company pursues a course that distances it from its former owner, eBay.